﻿I know I said I do not agree with doing a series of paintings over and over again. But this is different because I will be creating paintings in one colour, each relating to the chakras of the energy body. Our bodies consist of seven energy centres known as 'chakras'. Each chakra is a spiral and has a different colour. Sometimes they become imbalanced and need healing. Healing can be performed by using colour therapy that includes wearing the relevant colours or eating foods of that colour. For example, if red is imbalanced then you would wear red garments or sleep in red bed sheets. You could eat red foods like strawberries, tomatoes etc... In my case I am going to talk about the base chakra, which is red. The red chakra governs the base of the human energy body and is situated at the bottom of the spine. It relates to various parts of the body like hips, legs, kidneys and bladder areas, as well as the vertebrae. So if you have problems in those specific areas you could look into colour therapy. Some people believe that these energy centres can be balanced by frequencies emitted from the relevant colour. Now the base chakra also governs your personality traits. Red is extrovert and courageous. It also shows confidence, strong will and spontaneity. On the other hand there is a negative side such as anger, aggression and fearfulness. So balance is the key. ﻿

With this in mind I was inspired to create a series of paintings using each colour of the chakra. However, I did use black and white for shading purposes. I wanted to paint a Chinese landscape for a while after seeing a traditional Chinese painting at my local takeaway. I have to say it was magnificent, I could just stand and stare at it for hours. The detail was spectacular. Anyway I started by painting the background with a pale pink and using a darker shade to put in the distant mountains, as you can see here.

﻿The next stage involved another layer of mountains of a darker shade, bringing it closer to the foreground, as shown here. I decided to paint reflections in the water and a bridge too. I thought it would be interesting to put a couple of trees on top of each mountain. After that I added more detail to the foreground i.e. bushes and trees at the base of the mountains. Then I added a dwelling and more shrubbery. ﻿

﻿But to me it was incomplete it needed something else. Then it dawned on me why not put a person on a boat or a 'junk'. Here it is. Below are two pictures of me adding the fisherman/woman and last minute touches. ﻿

Here is the end product below. I called it ' Rose Water' at the request of my husband (don't blame me for it). By the way can you spot the person meditating? Go on have a closer look... found it yet?

The painting is acrylic on canvas, size: 24" x 36" x 1.5" and will soon be up for sale. Until next time, Love and Peace Samira :)

﻿I thoroughly enjoyed painting this, as I experimented with different brush strokes and brighter colours to what I usually do. The sky was painted by dabbing individual strokes rather than sweeping ones. I will definitely use this method again as it was very effective and gave a different feel. The colours used were more vibrant, certainly bolder than usual which presented me with a different kind of challenge. Some of the colours used were purer than I would typically go for. Nevertheless I loved painting it and will certainly do this again.This painting emits a feeling of relaxation, warmth and reminds me of the time when I was engaged to my now husband. We would go for long walks in the park to plan our future and dream of things to come. Little did I know that years later I would be doing this, but with my whole family, who have children of their own and plans of their future together. To find out more about the family just click the link below....http://www.arimasarts.com/2/post/2014/01/a-special-mention-to-my-family-and-friends.html﻿

This painting was inspired by the artist known as Leonid Afremov. I love his work, it is so unique and his style easily recognisable, as he uses very vibrant colours that make your heart sing when you look at them. Leonid generally applies the paint with a palette knife. Another thing I love about him is that his paintings are just that, paintings, they do not have hidden meanings or agendas, rather they are meant to evoke emotions and feelings and often reflect his own memories. Here is a link to view his work.

By the way the original painting is for sale on my website. If you would like a closer look at it then just go on the flowers and gardens page. Thanks for your time.Love and PeaceSamira :)

I am longing for spring at the moment and just feel like painting spring flowers and blossoms. So here is a painting I have finished recently. I have named it 'Spring is in the air'. Here is the painting in stages....Stage one is on the right.

﻿I used dark blue and black to paint the background. I also used a plastic bag to dab onto the paint while it was wet to add texture and a little bit of interest. After that I started to add the branches and buds.﻿

﻿As you can see from the painting on the right there is more detail on the branches and more highlights. Next is the completed painting. I hope you like it. This is a acrylic painting, size: 48" x 16" x 0.75". It will up for sale on the website soon. ﻿

Then came the blossom. I added the darker tones first and then the lighter ones. Here is a closer look. You can just about see the texture in the background.

Before I go here is a short video to get you into the mood, with gorgeous images of spring courtesy of Youtube - Beautiful Earth (The Shadowlands). Love and Peace Samira

This is the name of my latest painting inspired by a photograph which was taken at Wortley Hall over a year ago. Here it is.

It all started when, I know I have said this before, but I had an urge, to paint the colour pink. It is really funny, but over the past month I have been wearing the colour pink more frequently, unconsciously of course. When I was looking at some of my photographs I was really attracted to a photograph of myself and my eldest son Hasan, whom you may know from his poems that I have included in previous blogs. So I took this as a sign and looked into it as I believe what we are attracted to or feel instinctively is our spirit communicating to us on a deeper level. Usually by wearing certain colours or concentrating on a particular colour you can encourage healing either physically, mentally or emotionally, depending on what you need. It is like feeling down on a grey day and feeling more upbeat on a sunny day. Colours are just different frequencies or wave lengths that I think we need to top up, in ourselves, if we are depleted of them, to become balanced. Here is the first stage of my painting.This is where I added the base colours of the whole painting.

Well, apparently after some research, pink is a colour that promotes love, calm feelings and relaxation. It helps with contentment and acceptance and aids in neutralizing aggressive behaviour. Pink is also the colour of friendship and harmony. Now I only just discovered this, but when I was going through the period of being attracted to pink, I had no idea that it meant anything. But with hindsight I have come to the conclusion that all of the above is exactly what I needed.Here is the second stage of the painting.I started to add the branches and petals on the ground.

Anyway I painted this picture and wanted a young woman sitting amongst the pink petals in a relaxed manner with her eyes closed. She looked so serene and calm. Appropriate to the meaning of pink, don't you think (oops I'm a poet and I don't know it). Then whilst painting, it came to me, call it 'Sometimes the only way out is in.' Perfect title I thought. When the world encloses in around you and you have nowhere to go for peace of mind and reflection, then the only place you can go is within, to ground yourself and gain clarity. The next two pictures are of the girl and a close up of some of the branches with the flowers. You can also see the background which is painted to look like the universe, signifying her mind opening up.

On that note here is the finished product. Enjoy. The original will soon be up for sale on my website and you can get a print on Fine Art America. I have created two versions of the print as seen below. Hope you like it.Love and PeaceSamira

﻿Author﻿

I am a self taught artist who loves and appreciates art and photography. Both capture moments of life with great meaning and beauty.

A photo or a piece of art can set off all kinds of emotions. I believe that looking at paintings and images can promote healing too, a form of colour therapy.

Anyway, I hope my vision of my time on this planet can give you all some form of joy.

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